First Impressions
by SlayersGrl
Summary: After a fateful encounter with a certain pirate captain, Katherine tries to live a normal life in Port Royal. Her world is thrown upside when pirates kidnap her brother and she must rely on the one person she never expected: Captain Jack Sparrow.
1. First Encounters

Title: First Impressions  
Author: SlayersGrl  
Disclaimer: I don't own Jack or his crew, although I wish I did… I do however claim Katherine and Jacob as my own.

Summary: A young woman and her brother find themselves in the midst of a pirate attack. Katherine realizes she must do anything to protect her little brother, even if it means facing one of the most feared pirates on the open seas, Captain Jack Sparrow.

Author's Note: Yet another story demanded to be written at 1am as I was about to fall asleep… I'm not sure where this idea came from, but I felt like writing something a little different than the usual Pirates fic. Please R&R! It would absolutely make my day!

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Chapter 1: First Encounters

It's strange really. I've lived by the sea for my entire life, but I never realized how truly breathtaking it was until I was standing at the bow of a merchant ship with the wind rushing through my hair, the salty sea water misting lightly against my face. My younger brother Jacob and I were on a voyage to the Caribbean to join our father in Jamaica. He had left a few months earlier to set up his trading business and then had sent word for us to come join him. After being on the open sea for over a week, I honestly could not see why my mother refused to join us. She was scared to death of the ocean and absolutely refused to accompany us on our trans-Atlantic journey. Of course, that left me to watch over my hyperactive younger brother.

"Katherine!" a young male voice shouted across the deck. I shook myself from my musings in time to see my seven year old brother slip on the recently swabbed deck and land flat on his back, much to the hilarity of the crewmembers on deck.

I groaned and quickly made my way over to help him to his feet. "I thought I told you not to run on the deck! They're forever mopping it and you were doomed to slip sooner or later!" I noticed that my reprimand was a little too harsh when I saw the tears begin to well up in Jacob's bright blue eyes. "Just promise me you won't do it again, alright?"

He nodded his head in agreement and quickly wiped the moisture from his eyes.

"So, what were you rushing up here to tell me?"

"Well, um…" he began, hesitating nervously. "I wanted to know if you had seen any other ships…"

"No, why do you ask?" Then I realized I already knew the answer. "You've been listening to those awful pirate stories, haven't you?" He simply nodded his head. "We are not going to be attacked by any pirates, ok? There's hardly anything worth stealing on board this ship." I could tell he was not entirely reassured by my reasoning. "I promise I will protect you. No one will hurt you while I'm around."

With that, Jacob smiled and reached up to wrap his small arms around my neck. "Thanks sis."

Several hours later, I discovered I might have to make good on my promise.

Jacob and I were sitting at the stern of the ship, simply watching the ocean. For once, my brother was being absolutely quiet and I intended to enjoy the moment for as long as it lasted. Unfortunately, it was interrupted in the worst way possible.

"Sail ho! Starboard side!" a sailor shouted from high in the crow's nest.

"What flag does she fly?" another sailor shouted while peering anxiously towards the horizon.

Several seconds passed as the first sailor tried to determine his response. "The jolly roger! It's the Black Pearl!" Those two simple sentences sent the crew into frenzy.

The captain immediately began to issue orders. "Raise the sails to full mast!"

"But sir," the first mate called out, "we'll never outrun the Pearl!"

The captain paused for a moment and then issued a new set of orders. "Then we'll stand and fight. Load the cannons!" Then he seemed to notice the young woman and small boy standing at the rear of his ship. "And get those passengers below deck!"

Jacob and I were quickly ushered to our room by one of the sailors and told, in no uncertain terms, to stay put. I then turned my full attention to the scared boy sitting on his small bed in the corner.

"You said they wouldn't come…" he whispered, as if he was afraid the pirates might hear him if he spoke too loud. My heart wilted at the accusing stare he gave me, as if to say this was somehow my fault.

I knelt down on the floor beside the bed so my face was level with that of my brother. "Jacob, I'm sorry. I honestly believed this would never happen. But I did mean what I said about protecting you. Everything's going to be okay." I smiled, hoping my words would comfort him, even if they did little to comfort myself.

Our moment of sibling bonding was short lived. A loud explosion shattered the relative silence our small room. The accompanying tilt of the deck informed me that the ship had been fired upon. All I could do was hold my brother while the sounds of battle loomed over our heads. I could hear the roar of the cannons and the lesser roar of pistols being fired. And in-between I could hear the faint yelling of the men above deck as they fought to keep the pirates from boarding.

As quickly as the battle had begun, it suddenly ended. I heard a loud roar of victory but could not tell which side had won. Minutes passed by slowly and then I heard my answer. I could faintly make out a man yelling "Take what you can!" followed by an even louder response, "And give nothing back!"

"They're here!" Jacob whispered.

"Jacob, you have to hide!" I quickly scanned the room and realized the only place big enough to conceal my brother was underneath the bed. "Hurry, under the bed." His look informed me that he was about to protest my order. "Do not argue with me. It's the only option we have."

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. Now, no matter what happens, do not move from this spot! Ok?" I waited until he nodded his head and then threw the blanket over the side of the bed to hide him from view.

Now that my brother was safely concealed, I realized just how vulnerable I was. If I wasn't going to hide, I decided I would at least defend myself. I again scanned the room, this time looking for any possible weapons. I eventually settled on the heavy iron candlestick holder sitting on the desk on the opposite wall. As I walked over and picked up the object to test the weight, I realized it would have to suffice. I could hear voices outside the door. I took up an ambush position beside the door and waited.

The door creaked open and a disheveled head appeared in my line of sight. With only a slight hesitation, I swung my arm and felt the heavy object in my hand connect with soft flesh. However, my small hesitation had allowed the man to bring his arm up in defense and I had suddenly lost the element of surprise.

The man, being much more experienced in the art of combat than myself, had me disarmed in a matter of seconds. "What have we here? What's a pretty lass like you doing down here all by your onesies?"

His face was only inches from my own and his breath reeked of fish and rum. Inwardly I was relieved. He hadn't noticed Jacob's hiding place. However, I was now standing mere inches from a man who could kill me at any time. I only had one option left. "Parley!" I shouted.

The man groaned. "Oh, not parley!" He paused to glare at me and then turned his attention to the doorway. For the first time, I realized another pirate was standing there staring at me in a most inappropriate manner. "Guess we have to take her to the captain now." Each man then proceeded to grab one of my arms and lead me up the stairs to the main deck.

As I was roughly dragged toward the front of the boat, I realized that, if I was indeed destined to die today, then I would not meet my fate like a coward, kicking and screaming like a little child. I tried to muster as much dignity as I could while being held captive by two roguish pirates. The illusion lasted a whole three seconds before I was shoved forward the last two steps and landed on my knees at the helm of the ship.

"Hey, Captain. Look what we found below deck," the pirate to my right shouted. It was then that I noticed two very grungy looking boots before me.

I took a deep breath and, believing I had prepared myself for anything, I stood and raised my head to look my death in the face. I found myself sorely unprepared for what I saw.

I had steeled myself to look into the eyes of a coldhearted, bloodthirsty criminal, a man who took great pleasure in pillaging and plundering from the innocent and then calmly dispatching all witnesses to a watery grave. What I found staring back at me, however, was quite the opposite. I saw a hint of childish amusement in this man's eyes and what appeared to be a small smirk on his face, as if he was trying very hard not to laugh. It was a look I often saw on my father's face as he watched my brother and I play together.

The overwhelming fear I had felt up until that moment was rapidly replaced with a new, even stronger emotion: rage. I couldn't believe it! This… this… pirate… had the nerve to actually laugh at me! He thought it was amusing that I was scared to death of him?

The pirate captain continued to stare into my eyes for a few seconds and then his gaze began to drift south, to my lips, to my chin, to my shoulders, to my… His lustful wanderings were cut short by a swift slap in the face that would have been followed up by a well placed kick if I had not been grabbed by the two pirates standing behind me.

To my disgust, he simply smiled, displaying a row of shiny gold teeth, while he absentmindedly rubbed a weatherworn hand against his cheek. "Ah, a feisty one I see. You aren't from Tortuga, are ya luv?"

I had no idea what he was talking about, but decided it would be best to not dignify his comment with a response. Instead, I simply rolled my eyes in disgust and turned my attention to the main deck below.

The sight before me was almost too much. I nearly emptied the contents of my stomach right then and there. There were several bodies strewn across the deck, including that of the ship's captain. Their blood had barely gone cold and the pirate crew, intent on the single task of hauling cargo from this ship to their own, was casually stepping over the bodies like they didn't even exist.

The pirate noticed where my gaze had drifted and had seen my reaction. "Unfortunately, that's what happens to those who don't cooperate. On the other hand," he added while waving his hand towards the rear of the ship, "that's what happens when you do cooperate." I turned my gaze to the location he indicated and noticed the small group of survivors being held at bay at the rear of ship.

"Captain," the pirate whom I originally assaulted suddenly interjected, "the girl claimed parley."

The captain merely gave me a quizzical glance before shrugging his shoulders. "Alright, luv, name your terms."

"What?" I stammered, completely thrown off by his response.

"You're the one who invoked parley. Ya do know what the rules are, don't ya?" As he asked me, he swaggered forward so that his face was mere inches from my own.

Quickly, I tried to formulate some response. All I could remember about parley was that any captive who said it was to be brought in front of the captain. Why didn't I pay more attention during those stories? Ok, so, I get to name some terms… "I want you to promise not to harm another soul on board this ship and leave immediately for whatever hellhole you crawled out of."

"Well, luv, I'm afraid we can't be leaving just yet."

"And why's that?" I asked, trying very hard not to show how disconcerting his close proximity was.

"We haven't finished loading all the booty."

"Fine, when your crew has finished looting us, will you leave?"

"Aye, since such a pretty lass is the one doing the asking." As if to emphasize his sincerity, the captain gave me a small bow and then turned to address his crew. "Hurry it up ya scurvy dogs! Make ready to set sail!"

A quarter of an hour later, the last of the loot had been carried across the planks temporarily bridging the two ships together. The only pirate left was the captain standing in front of me. He leaned in close and said, "May you always remember this day as the day you met Captain Jack Sparrow." Then, to my absolute horror, he planted a kiss on my lips.

I barely registered the fact that he then grabbed a line hanging from the rigging and swung over the narrow strip of ocean separating the two ships to land squarely on the opposite deck. As I watched the ebony sails billow in the wind and the ship rapidly began to glide away, I slowly raised a hand to touch my lips.

That damn pirate! He left me with my life, but he couldn't resist stealing my dignity!


	2. Moving On

Title: First Impressions  
Author: SlayersGrl  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters from the movie. I'm just "borrowing" them…

Summary: A young woman and her brother find themselves in the midst of a pirate attack. Katherine realizes she must do anything to protect her little brother, even if it means facing one of the most feared pirates on the open seas, Captain Jack Sparrow.

Author's Note: Wow, I never really expected to get any responses to this… Um, anyway, I felt inspired to continue the story, even though I originally planned to leave it as one chapter. And, on a totally different note, why did Will's name have to be Will?! It's seriously screwing with Microsoft Word's grammar checker!

Reviewer Responses:

Silverdracowolf: Glad you liked it! I wasn't going to continue it, but then I thought up a half decent plot, so… what the heck! Why not write some more!

Radicalifis: Yay! I kept Jack in character? He's so hard to write too!

PeleAmelika: Good to hear you liked my Jack and my OC. I was really trying to avoid making her a Mary Sue… I think she turned out ok.

u-ne-korn: Nice name! I'm happy you enjoyed the first chapter!

GiveMeTheWind: That's funny that you mention having younger brothers… I'm actually the youngest in my family and so I'm sorta winging it on the whole little brother thing… Jacob's based on my ideas of what it would be like to have a little brother (and somewhat based on my older brother…even though the roles are reversed…)

morph: Yeah, Jack is a little darker here… but even though he may not seem like it sometimes, he's still a pirate. I just wanted to show that all pirates have to kill sometimes, although Jack doesn't seem like the type to do it unless he has no other choice.

Shanelover1: Ah yes, lucky Katherine! Too bad she doesn't see it that way…

Lip Balm: Thanks for adding this to your favorite stories list!

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Chapter 2: Moving On

The aftermath of the attack was rather anti-climatic. Order was restored relatively quickly. The first mate claimed control of the ship and got the remaining crew reorganized. All of the victims of the attack were given a burial at sea and within a few hours, the only sign that there had even been a confrontation was the dried blood staining the wooden planks of the main deck and the nearly empty store rooms below.

Thankfully, I found my brother exactly where I had left him, underneath the small cot in our room. At the sound of my voice frantically calling out his name, he jumped out and ran to wrap his small arms around my waist. "Katherine! I thought you were never coming back!" he said with tears streaming down his face.

I felt the familiar feeling of hot tears streaming down my own face as I quickly returned the embrace. "I told you I can take of myself. I wouldn't leave you here alone Jacob."

I'm not sure how long we stood there like that, simply savoring the fact that we were still alive. But for the next few days, we rarely left our cabin. Like the other few passengers, we were worried about another pirate attack. I don't think I've ever felt as happy to see dry land as I did when our ship finally pulled into the docks of Port Royal...

It's been three years since my face to face encounter with Captain Jack Sparrow. My life has since become much more…uneventful. Jacob and I have settled in with our father among the other wealthy and influential citizens of Port Royal. My days are usually filled watching over my little brother and having tea with the other socialites of the town. Sometimes I'd rather skip the socializing part since most of the women seem incapable of having any real thought-provoking discussions. However, there are a few exceptions, such as the governor's daughter, Elizabeth Turner. She is one of the few people I have met who seems to have any understanding of the real world outside of the stuffy, polished mansions of the quiet port town.

"Miss Scott?" a voice called from outside my bedroom door. "Your father is waiting for you downstairs."

I took one last look in the mirror to make sure my attire would meet the standards required for one visiting the governor's home and then hurried out the door to greet my father. I was somewhat surprised to see that my brother had arrived before me, since he was forever rushing around to finish getting ready. Then I noticed the ruffled state of his clothing and realized that his earliness was due to being rushed instead of actually being ready to go.

"Good evening father." I said as I reached the bottom of the stairs.

"You look absolutely beautiful Katherine," he replied as he leaned forward to give me a small kiss on the cheek. My father was always quick to offer a compliment to a woman, especially if that woman happened to be his daughter.

I smiled and then leaned down to straighten Jacob's jacket collar. "Ready to go?" I asked, addressing the question to both men.

My father nodded and gestured towards the door. "We really mustn't be keeping the Governor waiting."

There was a carriage waiting outside and within fifteen minutes I found myself standing at the door of the large mansion that was the home of the Governor of Port Royal. We were greeted at the door by one of the servants and were soon seated in the spacious living parlor just off to the side of the main entranceway.

"Ah, Mr. Scott!" a soft voice called from the doorway leading to the dining room. "What a pleasure to see you again! I'm so glad you could make it for dinner." I turned to see Elizabeth enter the room, followed by her husband Will.

The usual greetings were exchanged and then repeated when Elizabeth's father entered the room moments later. Finally, the Governor and my father excused themselves to discuss business leaving Jacob and myself alone with Will and Elizabeth.

The two men had barely stepped out of the room when Elizabeth turned to me with a wide grin on her face. "So, Katherine, how are the lessons going?"

I couldn't help but blush in embarrassment at her question. The "lessons" in question had originally started as almost a joke. I was sitting with Elizabeth one afternoon while we watched Will try to teach Jacob how to use a sword (a wooden one, of course). After several very amusing attempts, I couldn't help but burst out in laughter at my poor brother.

He, however, did not find it at all amusing and immediately insisted that I give it a try. I foolishly accepted the challenge and took the wooden sword from him. "Honestly! It can't be that hard!" I then took what I hoped was a defensive stance and waited for Will to make the first move. His first swing from the right was quite simple to block, along with the following swing from the left. What I didn't expect was the sudden forward lunge that came next and found myself stumbling backwards to get out of the way. I ended up tripping on my long skirt and fell backwards onto the soft grass. My would-be teacher then offered a hand to help me up and said with a grin, "Looks like you could use a few lessons yourself. Not quite as easy as you thought, is it?"

So, from then on, whenever Jacob and I would visit the Turner's in the afternoon, Will would give us each a small sword lesson. I was quite surprised when Elizabeth occasionally volunteered to join in and was even more surprised to find that she had some skill with the weapon. However, she was now inquiring about the status of my lessons since she had had prior engagements and was not around to witness my last few pitiful attempts.

"Katherine has to be the worst swordsman I have ever seen! She can barely defend herself let alone actually attack with a sword," my brother quickly responded.

I glared at him as I rushed to defend my lack of fighting skills. "Well excuse me if I can't seem to master the art of gracefully swinging a large hunk of metal through the air in hopes of mortally wounding another person."

Will chuckled at my response. "Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it eventually. Everyone should be able to at least defend themselves, should the need arise."

"Well I personally think I did quite fine defending myself without the help of a sword." I replied, referring to the confrontation three years ago.

"Yeah, but didn't you use parley?" Elizabeth asked while still smiling. "They couldn't have hurt you even if they wanted to."

Everyone in Port Royal knew about the pirate attack. The crew was quick to spread word of their harrowing escape from the Black Pearl. They, of course, claimed all responsibility for fending off the attack and only Will, Elizabeth, and my father knew about my role in the whole incident.

I could not think of a witty response and instead decided to change the subject. "Oh, did I show you what my father brought me from his last voyage?"

After seeing the young couple shake their heads no, I reached up and lifted the small gold chain from around my neck. On it was a beautiful, golden medallion with the imprinted image of a phoenix in flight.

"It's beautiful Katherine." Elizabeth exclaimed after examining the item.

All further conversation was halted by the appearance of one of the butlers in the doorway. "Pardon the interruption, but I have been sent to inform you that dinner is served."

The rest of the evening was spent socializing and I was truly disheartened when the time came to leave. The Turners walked us to our waiting carriage and my brother waved his arm out the side as we left.

On the ride home, I noticed that my father was being unusually quiet. Usually he would join in on our conversation, but this night found him simply staring at the passing landscape. I decided not to question him in front of Jacob since my father would probably just avoid my questions so as to not upset him. That didn't mean I wouldn't question him later, however…

After arriving home, I made sure Jacob was settled in bed and then went downstairs to confront my father. I was determined to find out what had him so preoccupied. Predictably, he was exactly where I had expected to find him: in his study.

He didn't notice when I quietly entered the room, so I tentatively asked, "Father?"

"Oh, Katherine!" he exclaimed, finally realizing he wasn't alone in the room. "Did you need something?"

I sighed. The man was as stubborn as his children, me included. He always refused to admit when something was bothering him. "Daddy," I began, choosing to use the informal title in hopes of coaxing him to open up, "I know something is bothering you. You barely said two words on the way home tonight."

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about a business deal that's coming up. It's really nothing you should be concerned about," he replied, choosing to study one of the books on his desk instead of looking me in the eye.

"I know that's not true! It has to be more than that to have you so concerned."

This time my father finally looked up at me. "Katherine, I can't discuss this with you right now. It's business. You understand."

As I tried to ascertain more details simply by meeting my father's stare, I suddenly noticed the pile of papers and log books sitting beside him on the desk. "When are you leaving?" I asked, my voice barely louder than a whisper.

"In the morning."

I stared at him accusingly. "Were you even going to tell us?!"

"Of course I was. I just didn't want to upset you and Jacob before we went to the Governor's. I shouldn't be gone more than a few weeks." He paused, as if waiting for some further reaction on my part. I chose to simply stare at one of the ornate tapestries that adorned the walls of the study. I was suddenly surprised to feel his strong arms embrace me in a warm hug. "Please don't be angry with me," he whispered into my ear. "I don't want to leave. But I have to. Please say you understand."

I considered his words and then slowly returned the embrace. "I understand. But I don't have to like it."

My father chuckled at my reply. "Aye, that you don't. Now off to bed with you! I still have some work to finish before I leave."

Jacob took the news of my father's departure better than I had anticipated. He simply refused to say anything while my father finished his preparations. Then he surprised me by running up to hug him and said, "I won't let you leave until you promise to come back."

My father leaned down so he could look his son in the eye. "Jacob, I promise you I will return as soon as I can. In the meantime, you have to listen to what Katherine tells you and behave yourself like a gentleman. Can you do that for me?"

Jacob simply nodded. Then he climbed into the carriage and was whisked away towards the docks where the ship awaited to carry him off to some distant port town.

"Come on Jacob. Let's go eat our breakfast. Then maybe we can head into town to check out a few of the shops." My plans for the day offered my little brother the perfect distraction and he was soon babbling about all the stores he wanted to visit.

I spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon walking around the busy streets of Port Royal gazing in shop windows with Jacob. Occasionally we would spot something interesting in the window and go into the shop for a closer look. But, by the end of the day, our only purchases were a few sweets from the bakery and a new hat for my brother.

"Can we go down to the docks? I wanna see the new ships that came in to port this morning!" my brother asked exuberantly. He always loved going to see the ships, although it always made me a little nervous. I just couldn't help but be reminded of my fateful meeting with a certain pirate captain… Normally I would insist we go find some place else to entertain ourselves, but upon seeing the happy expression on Jacob's face, I relented and agreed to go down to the docks with him.

I allowed myself to be dragged from ship to ship as my brother tried to explain how the rigging and number of masts helped to determine which kind of ship it was. I honestly couldn't care less, but I tried to at least appear interested. My attitude suddenly changed when I noticed an ominous ship at the last pier. It didn't really look suspicious, but I couldn't help the feeling of dread that raced down my spine upon seeing it. There was just something… wrong… about it, like it didn't belong among the other navy and merchant vessels that populated the small cove.

I quickly grabbed Jacob's hand before he started off toward the strange ship. "Come on, I think it's time to go." Before any arguments could be voiced, I continued. "We need to return to the house before we miss lunch."

The mention of food was enough to force all question from my brother's mind and we were soon on our way home. As we left the docks, I couldn't help but glance one last time at the ship, before shrugging off my concerns and returning my thoughts to how to entertain my brother for the rest of the day.

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AN: I know… not much action right now… This is more of a transition chapter. I promise, more action in the next one! Oh, and look for Jack to be making another appearance very soon… 


	3. Ransom!

Title: First Impressions  
Author: SlayersGrl  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters from the movie. I'm just "borrowing" them…

Summary: A young woman and her brother find themselves in the midst of a pirate attack. Katherine realizes she must do anything to protect her little brother, even if it means facing one of the most feared pirates on the open seas, Captain Jack Sparrow.

Author's Note: Finally, some more action! I even managed to sneak some angst in here… What fun! As usual, R&R! Please? And thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! You guys keep me motivated to keep writing! I have a really difficult time actually finishing anything I start…

Reviewer Responses:

u-ne-korn: Thanks for reviewing again! Oh, and also thanks for pointing out the proofreading thing… I gotta learn to read through the chapter before I post it at 2am… I fixed everything I could find, but let me know if I missed anything.

Lady Fae: Glad you liked it! I'm trying to update quickly. These chapters are actually getting written faster than I thought they would be…

Alaskantiger: Aye, hurrying!

JessieRose: Thanks for adding this to your favorites! You even deleted another one in order to add it… Wow!

kinder: Good to know you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review!

Captain 'Phoenix' Aquamarine: How ironic… your penname is 'Phoenix' and I was actually planning on using the phoenix as an important part of the story later on… Guess you'll have to wait and see what I have planned…

Léaglen: Thanks for letting me know Jack's in character so far. I'm so worried about re-introducing him at the end of this chapter…

ShaneLover1: Yay, another second-time reviewer! I hope I can keep it interesting… Still got a few plot ideas to work out, but my muse has been very cooperative lately.

Silverdracowolf: Hehe, I rather liked that line myself... Ah, sarcasm…

GiveMeTheWind: I guess the main goal of all siblings is to be annoying. Twins are especially bad at that… My sister drives me nuts! Katherine sorta reminds you of yourself? That's a little odd considering you think you're almost the same as Jack… haha! I'm hoping Katherine can learn to be a little more open and carefree by the end of the adventure… Right now she's stuck in the proper society of the time. Maybe I can get Jack to rub off on her a little!

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Chapter 3: Ransom!

After an exhausting evening, I finally managed to get Jacob into bed. He was obviously as tired as I was because he was asleep within minutes. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite so lucky. I tried to fall asleep, but my mind kept wandering back to the events of the day, mainly the strange feeling I had about the ship down by the docks. My exhaustion soon won out though and I fell asleep at last.

I'm not sure what woke me. I thought I heard voices outside. I listened for a moment, but could hear only silence. Suddenly, there was a series of loud bangs coming from the main entrance of the house, like someone was trying to knock the door down. I cautiously stood and went over to open my bedroom door. Peering out just in time, I saw the heavy wooden door fly off its hinges and slam to the floor.

Now that that obstacle was out of the way, a small group of men flooded through the opening. One look at their unusual attire and drawn cutlasses confirmed my worst fears: pirates. My next thought sent my heart racing. _Jacob!_

Not caring that I was only wearing my nightgown, I quickly dashed from my room and ran down the hallway to Jacob's room. I had just reached his door when I heard a shout from one of the pirates. I realized they must have seen me, but it was too late to do anything about it. I threw open the door and ran in, making sure to turn the lock behind me.

My brother, having heard the commotion downstairs, was already awake. "Katherine! What's going on?"

"Pirates…" was my only reply. I was too preoccupied with scanning the room for any possible weapons to even consider formulating a coherent response. My eyes soon settled on the metal candlestick by the bed. It may not have worked before, but it was all I had at the moment… I grabbed it and then dragged Jacob over beside the bed, positioning ourselves so I was between my brother and the bed, and the bed was between me and the door.

"Are they coming?" Jacob whispered, one hand gripping my own. I could feel he was starting to shake in fear.

"I promised I would protect you," I replied, firmly squeezing his hand to try to reassure him. "I just never thought it would be from pirates again."

Further conversation was halted by a pounding on the bedroom door. All I could do was raise the candlestick in one hand and hold onto my brother with the other. A minute later, the bedroom door suffered the same fate as the front and collapsed to the floor.

I found myself face to face with a pirate… again. This time, I refused to be taken by surprise. I decided to maintain my safe position behind the bed. At least that way they wouldn't be able to ambush me from behind.

"Well, well… what do we have 'ere?" the pirate mumbled to himself. Then, to one of the men behind him, he added, "Looks like the lass wants to fight…"

The following moments were somewhat of a blur. I remember the pirate in the doorway suddenly charging at me and grabbing for the candlestick. I jumped out of the way and then swung the weapon back around to connect with the back of the man's head. I watched as he slumped to the floor, but then another pirate grabbed my right arm. I tried to wrench myself free of his iron tight grip, but had little success.

"Grab the boy!" one of the men shouted.

I turned my attention away from the man gripping my arm and tried to locate Jacob amongst the chaos. I saw him being restrained by one of the pirates and tried to move towards him. That's when the pirate holding my arm decided to hit me in the head with something hard. Everything rapidly faded to black and I collapsed to the floor.

The next thing I remembered was waking up on the floor with a splitting headache. I tentatively reached a hand to probe the source of my discomfort: the back of my head. I pulled my hand back to reveal the presence of blood.

The sight of it brought the memories flooding back. "_Oh, God!_"I thought, "_Where's Jacob?_"

I quickly scanned the room, but could find no trace of him. There were, however, reminders of the struggle that had taken place earlier. The door was still lying on the floor and various objects were strewn haphazardly around the room. It almost looked like someone had been searching for something.

Noting the distinct lack of my brother's presence, I knew I needed to go search the rest of the house. I quickly placed my feet beneath me and stood up. Two seconds later, I realized that probably wasn't such a good idea. The room began to tilt at an alarming angle and I had to grab the side of the bed to keep from toppling back to the ground. I closed my eyes while I waited for my balance to return. When I was finally prepared to make the first step towards the door, I was slightly more prepared for the dizziness. By keeping one hand firmly on the wall, I was able to make my way down the hallway and to the top of the stairs.

The first thing I noticed was the body lying on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. My heart nearly stopped when I thought it might be Jacob. But upon closer inspection, I realized it was the maid. I slowly walked down the stairs, trying not to lose the contents of my stomach on the way. At the bottom, I knelt down and reached a hand out to touch the woman's arm. Her skin felt ice cold and I quickly withdrew my hand in horror.

I was suddenly reminded of the sight of the dead sailors lying on the deck of the ship. I shook my head to clear the image from my mind. The action only served to aggravate my already pounding headache and I had to focus in order to keep from passing out.

"_Jacob. I need to find Jacob,_" I reminded myself. I noticed sunlight streaming in through the open doorway. The sun had already risen, meaning several hours must have passed since the attack. That also meant the pirates were probably long gone…

"Jacob!" I began to shout while quickly making my way through the rest of the house. I continued until I reached my father's study. There, attached to the door with a knife, was a note.

To make sure you comply with our agreement,  
I have taken your son. You will bring the  
Bird of Paradise to the usual meeting place  
in two weeks. In exchange, the boy will be  
returned unharmed.

Signed,  
Captain Zamora

I could only stare at the note in disbelief. "_What is going on?_" The enormity of the situation finally dawned on me and I realized I needed to get help. I grabbed the note and ran out the door, heading straight for the fort.

It was still very early in the morning so the streets were practically deserted. As I raced towards my destination, I glanced out towards the cove. I noticed that the strange ship from yesterday was gone.

My frantic flight through the main entrance of the fort startled the two guards who were slightly dozing off. They shouted after me to stop once they realized I had run right past them. But I didn't plan on stopping until I reached my final destination: Commodore Norrington's office.

After passing two more sets of stunned guards, I reached it. Without even knocking, I simply flung open the door and burst into the room.

"Miss Scott!" the commodore exclaimed, startled by my unexpected entrance. "I… are you ok?" he asked, taking note of my appearance.

I realized I probably looked like a complete mess, wearing only my nightgown and having dried blood matted in my hair. But to be honest, I really didn't care. I had to help Jacob.

"You have to go rescue my brother!" I practically shouted at the man in response, completely ignoring his question about my well-being.

"From whom?" he asked, trying to motion for me to sit down.

Again, I ignored him and began to wave my arms about vaguely in hopes of somehow motivating him to immediate action. "The pirates! They came to our house last night and took him! And that ship, it's gone! It must have been theirs! You have to go after them before they get too far away!"

"Miss Scott! Please, sit down and calm yourself. I can assure you there were no pirates in Port Royal last night."

"Then what is this!" I yelled, holding the note in front of his face for him to read.

The commodore's face took on a shocked expression. "Captain Zamora? But he's a privateer. Why would he ransom your brother?"

I was completely enraged at how the man could continue to ask inane questions while Jacob's captors sailed further and further away. "I don't really care what he is. All I know is he took my brother. And you need to catch him. Now! You can question his motives later!"

Finally, Norrington snapped out of his momentary state of shock and returned to military form. "Lieutenant!" he yelled, waiting impatiently until a man appeared in the doorway. "Where was the Rebellion headed?"

"Um," the young officer mumbled, trying to remember the location. "I believe it was Havana, sir."

"Right. Prepare the Dauntless to set sail. We leave as soon as she's ready."

The lieutenant quickly saluted and left to carry out his orders. Then the commodore turned to address me. "We will find your brother, Miss Scott. Until then, I need you to return home. I will have a guard escort you there."

"Wait!" I exclaimed as he began to lead me from his office. I turned around to face the military officer. "I'm going with you!"

"You most certainly are not!" he replied. "I will not endanger a civilian. You will stay here and wait until I contact you with further information."

The look in the man's eyes was enough to tell me I had no room to argue. And I should know… I had given Jacob that same expression many times.

I resigned myself to the tedious task of waiting. My only consolation was that someone was finally going to find my brother, even though I would have preferred that someone to be me.

One of the guards soon found me a coat to wear over my nightgown so I would be somewhat more respectable for the walk home. I informed them about the fate of our maid and soon a small group of soldiers was walking me back to my now empty home.

Hours later, the house was bustling with activity. I had somehow been talked into getting changed and was now sitting at the kitchen table nursing a glass of water. The doctor had come by and taken care of my head injury. I was now sporting a white bandage wrapped around my head. He said I only needed a few days of rest and I would be back to normal.

I knew I wouldn't be resting anytime soon. The events of the morning would surely be haunting my dreams. And I wouldn't feel "normal" until my brother was safe at home.

"Katherine?" a soft voice asked. Startled, I looked up to find Elizabeth Turner standing in front of me. "Are you okay?" she asked.

I didn't even know how to respond to that question. Too many emotions were raging inside of me. So, I simply shook my head no.

"He'll be all right," she replied, realizing I needed some assurance right now. "Why don't you come and stay with Will and me?"

I nodded my head in acceptance and allowed her to lead me out the door and down the street towards her home. I barely registered anything at that point. I guess I was in shock over the whole event. I still couldn't believe Jacob was gone.

I was shocked to discover myself in one of the guest bedrooms of the Governor's house. I hadn't even realized we had arrived at the property.

"You need to try to get some sleep. You look like you could pass out any minute." Elizabeth said, ushering me towards the inviting bed.

She immediately stopped after hearing my whispered response. "I failed him. I promised I would protect him and that no harm would ever come to him." I finally raised my head to look at Elizabeth's startled expression. "I…I… couldn't stop them…" The rest was of my thoughts were lost as I burst into tears. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around me and I buried my face in her shoulder. I finally released my repressed emotions and let the warm tears fall from my eyes. After a while, they stopped and I suddenly realized how tired I was.

"Everything will be alright. You did the best you could," she whispered in my ear. Then she led me to the bed where I quickly collapsed in exhaustion. "Now get some sleep. I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

I nodded my head and then allowed myself to drift off to sleep.

* * *

AN: Ok, so I lied… Jack was supposed to make an appearance at the end of this chapter, but the events leading up to that have taken up a little more room than expected… So, I guess it'll have to wait until the beginning of the next chapter…

How did I do on the angst part though? I typically only write action/humor stories, so I'm not really sure how the whole "feelings" thing turned out…


	4. You!

Title: First Impressions  
Author: SlayersGrl  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters from the movie. I'm just "borrowing" them…

Summary: After a fateful encounter with a certain pirate captain, Katherine tries to live a normal life in Port Royal. Her world is thrown upside when pirates kidnap her brother and she must rely on the one person she never expected: Captain Jack Sparrow.

Author's Note: And the updating continues! Jack **finally** gets to make another appearance!

Reviewer Responses:

Captain 'Phoenix' Aquamarine: I'm glad you're still enjoying the story! I've still got a few details to sort out, but I should start explaining the importance of the phoenix in this chapter or the next one…

JessieRose: Thanks for reviewing again! These chapters are coming a lot faster than I expected… I hope to keep posting them quickly!

Shanelover1: Sorry about the no Jack thing… He does finally make a re-appearance in this chapter though! And thanks for letting me know how the angst was.

churchpunk42: I'm trying very hard to make this story somewhat unique. My favorite thing about the movie was how unpredictable the story was, so hopefully I can do the same in this story. Normally I would be taking much longer to work on this, but my muse is screaming at me to write, and so write I must!

Empress Guinevere Sparrow: Thanks for the complement! It's nice to know someone likes my writing style since I sorta hate it myself… I dunno, I just think I need to work on certain areas before I'll be fully satisfied with it. And Jack does appear in this chapter!

Dawnie-7: Glad you liked it! Thanks for the review!

u-ne-korn: Thanks for the comment on the angst part! I was hoping it was just enough emotion without being too much… Yeah, it kinda sucks for Katherine, but that's life, I guess…

Bluelady198: Happy to hear you're enjoying the story so far! And not to worry, Jack is now in the story again!

* * *

Chapter 4: You!

I awoke with a start, the nightmare still fresh in my mind. I had dreamed that it was Jacob's body I had found on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. I could still visualize the image from my dream: his still form lying in a puddle of dried blood. Trying to clear the image from my mind, I rubbed a hand across my face and tried to focus on something else… anything else…

"_How long was I asleep?_" I noticed I was still wearing the same dress I had put on at home. Someone must have thought ahead because there was a change of clothes laid out on the chair next to the bed.

I walked over to stand in front of the mirror. I was appalled by the image that stared back at me. My auburn hair hung in ragged clumps around my face; some of it tinted red by the blood from my head injury. My skin was almost as pale as the stark white bandage around my forehead. I was most surprised by my eyes. They were red and puffy from crying earlier, but they also had an expression of fear.

I was afraid I would never get to see my brother again, that I would never get to tell him how sorry I was for breaking my promise.

I closed my eyes and shook my head to stop the flow of self-recriminating thoughts that seemed to invade my mind at the moment. I took a deep breath and then stared at my reflection. "There is nothing I can do about what happened," I whispered to myself. "All I can do is to wait patiently until he is rescued." I couldn't help but chuckle at that statement. "Yeah right, wait patiently…"

I decided I should clean myself up before going to find Elizabeth. I took a nice warm bath to wash my hair and to relax my nerves. Then I changed into the clean clothes and headed downstairs.

I was halfway to the kitchen when I began to hear voices coming from the room.

"Sorry, no rum…" I heard Will say, followed by Elizabeth. "You know, now probably isn't the best time for a visit."

The next voice I heard was the last one I ever wanted to hear again. "What do you mean you don't have any rum? Are you mad?!" There was a pause and then the voice continued. "Ah, I see… the little rum burner won't let you have it, aye mate?"

Under normal circumstances, meeting that man again would have sent me over the edge. After everything else that had happened, this was the last straw. My blood boiling with rage, I stormed through the kitchen door. "You!" I practically growled, one-word accusations being all I could manage at the moment.

"Me?" he asked, pointing to himself as if in confusion as to who I was addressing. For an instant, I felt sure I had startled him, but he quickly recomposed himself and acted as if it was perfectly normal for an angry woman to be confronting him in the kitchen of the governor's home. He simply stared at me for a few seconds and then proclaimed, "You look familiar luv… have we met before?"

I screamed in frustration and made to grab the nearest heavy object to hurl at him. However, I was stopped by Will who grabbed me around the waist. "Whoa, calm down Katherine. Attacking an armed pirate probably isn't the best idea right now."

I glanced over at the pirate to see what Will was talking about it. I then noticed that he had both a sword and a pistol attached to his belt. I nodded my head in defeat and Will slowly released his grip. "So what exactly is he doing here anyway?" I asked, addressing the question to the Turners.

"Uh…" Will replied, looking to his wife to give some sort of explanation. Instead, Elizabeth addressed the question to Jack. "Jack, why are you here? You know the Commodore will hang you the minute he finds you."

The man had the nerve to look offended! "So you're saying a man can't check up on his friends from time to time… You know, see how life has been treatin' ya, any children running around yet…" With the last comment, he glanced behind us towards the door, as if expecting someone to come running in.

"No, Jack, that's not what I meant and you know it," Elizabeth sighed. "I was just wondering if you had any other… gains… to be made from your visit."

"I wouldn't dream of sacking the town, if that's what you're getting at, especially not with the good Commodore running around ready to hang every pirate in sight at the drop of a hat." Jack suddenly decided to change the topic and turned his attention towards me. "What's the story with the lass though? I didn't realize you were taking in strays…"

Before I had a chance to reply to that comment, Will jumped in. "She's just staying with us for a few days. Her brother was kidnapped last night and she needed a place to stay until Norrington finds him and brings him back."

"Ah… so, who was able to slip past the Commodore's impenetrable forces?" he asked, waving his arms in the air to emphasize his question.

"It was a pirate!" I answered, glaring at the infuriating man.

"Don't look at me luv! Why would I want some whelp climbing all over my ship?!"

Will decided to intervene before I started trying to throw things again. "She knows it wasn't you, Jack. It was a Captain Zamora. Have you heard of him?"

"Hmm…" Jack mumbled as he thought for a minute. "Right, I've heard of him. He's the captain of the Rebellion." He then turned towards me once again. "I hate to disappoint ya lass, but he's not a pirate. He's a privateer. There is a difference."

"Oh, and what would that be?"

"Freedom, luv. It's all about freedom."

That was definitely not the response I had expected. While I struggled to make sense of it, he continued on with the conversation.

"So, where did the Commodore run off to?"

I was the one to reply since I was the only one present when the man in question had determined his destination. "He was headed to Havana. That's where he said Zamora was going to meet my father for the ransom."

"Havana? Why would Zamora go there? Sure, it's a great place to sack Spanish ships, but it's no place to be meetin' someone for exchanging merchandise."

"My brother is not merchandise! And where do you think he'd go then?"

Jack thought about my question for a minute. "Nassau, of course. The waters are shallow enough to prevent the big Man Of War ships from getting too close, but they're perfect for giving the smaller pirate ships free reign of the area. Besides, it's right off the trade route so it'd be perfect for this type of meeting."

"Nassau! But Jack, that's in the opposite direction of Havana! If you're right, Norrington will never figure it out in time!" Will exclaimed, voicing my exact same thoughts.

"Aye, presents a bit of a problem, doesn't it?"

And I quickly realized there was only one possible solution. "You have to take me to Nassau."

Jack stared at me, possibly wondering if I had lost my mind. I was beginning to question that myself. "Oh do I, luv? And what would I get in return?"

"I'm sure my father would reward you for your assistance. And besides, you said yourself that Nassau was the perfect place for pirates. You could go raid and pillage to your heart's content for all I care, as long as you drop me off at port first!"

"Alright, but you have to agree to abide by my rules while you're aboard my ship. Think you can manage that?"

I grudgingly nodded my head.

"So do we have an accord?" he asked while extended his hand.

I again questioned my sanity, but extended my own hand to shake his, sealing my fate.

"Good, it's settled then," Jack declared, returning to his usual jovial attitude. "Better go and get packed, lass. We leave in an hour." He then turned to the other two occupants of the room. "You two coming?"

Will smiled and nodded his head enthusiastically. "Of course! I couldn't let Miss Scott go on adventure with a known pirate unattended." Elizabeth also indicated she would be going too.

Elizabeth than grabbed my arm and lead me out of the room towards the bedrooms upstairs. We stopped at the room I had been staying in first and she proceeded to grab a few garments from the closet. I simply stood by the door and watched since she appeared to know what she was doing.

"You don't have to come you know. I can take care of myself."

The other woman stopped her hurried packing and turned towards me. "I know. But I want to go. It's been a while since I've left Port Royal. And it'll be nice to see Jack and his crew again."

"How do you and Will know Jack Sparrow?" I asked curiously.

She just laughed. "It's a long story. And one that will have to wait until later or Jack will leave without us." Then she added, "Here, finish packing these things while I go get my own packing done."

Just as she reached the door, I quietly asked, "Do you trust him?"

"Aye, I trust him with my life." She paused and then added, "He's not the man he pretends to be, you'll see."

I was somewhat skeptical about that statement, but realized I had already doomed myself to at least a week aboard his ship. At least I could take comfort in knowing Will and Elizabeth would be coming along too.

An hour later we were all ready to go. We met Jack at the back of the house and without a word he set off towards the woods. He didn't even glance back to see if we were following him.

We walked in silence for about five minutes before Jack stopped abruptly and turned to face me. "Since we're going to be sailing together, I suppose we should be properly introduced." He then gave me a sweeping bow and said, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

Not at all impressed by his show, I replied, "I know who you are."

"Ah, but I don't know who you are."

I sighed. "My name is Katherine Scott."

"The pleasure is all mine, I'm sure." Then he turned back around and started leading our small group again. "Come along then, Kitty Kat. The Pearl awaits!"

"That's not my name!" I yelled.

He just laughed at me and continued his strange gait down the path.

"I'm going to kill him!" I muttered to myself. This was going to be a **long** voyage…


	5. Formal Introductions

Title: First Impressions  
Author: SlayersGrl  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters from the movie. I'm just "borrowing" them…

Summary: After a fateful encounter with a certain pirate captain, Katherine tries to live a normal life in Port Royal. Her world is thrown upside when pirates kidnap her brother and she must rely on the one person she never expected: Captain Jack Sparrow.

Author's Note: Sorry for the lack of updates… My muse seems to have run off on me again. Also, school has reared its ugly head and I haven't really had much time to work on this story.

But on a positive note, I now have the rough outline of the whole story done.

Reviewer Responses:

Empress Guinevere Sparrow: Glad you liked the "Kitty Kat" line! I found it very amusing myself… I think I was just going through a phase with my writing style. I like it much better now. Especially since I found an old disk with some of my early writings on it…. Scary! Let's just say I've improved much since then.

Talking book: Yay! My Jack is correct? I was having issues writing him at first, but now that I've written a few other stories, I feel more comfortable with my portrayal of him. I realize Elizabeth is a little off… I wasn't sure how to write her at first. I'm trying to address some of those issues at the end of this chapter. But some time has passed since the movie, so I've viewed her character a little differently…

GiveMeTheWind: Yeah, I understand now what you mean about the whole Jack/Katherine thing. And thanks for the encouragement to keep writing. Unfortunately, I'm awful at finishing stories… I've started so many, and only finished like two. But, I will finish this one! It just may take a while.

Cap'n Phoenix: Sorry! I seem to have gotten your hopes up about the whole phoenix thing and have yet to mention anything. It will be a part of the story later… Just not sure when…

Bluelady198: Thanks for the review! I really had planned to update sooner… but I got writer's block and it's taken me like 5 months to get the next chapter done. Pathetic, I know…

Shanelover1: Glad you liked the story!

u-ne-korn: Ok, I admit… the repeating of the movie lines was due to laziness and lack of creativity on my part. But, I have tried to go back and fix them to something more original.

churchpunk42: I love writing Jack and Katherine arguing. It's just so easy to have Jack tease her and then she flips out.

* * *

Chapter 5: Formal Introductions

We wandered through the forest for what seemed like hours. My patience had worn thin long ago, thanks to the infuriating pirate captain leading our ragtag band of adventurers. Once we had gotten far enough away from civilization to avoid being discovered, he had started to sing a pirate song. My angry pleas for him to stop only seemed to encourage him, so I gave up and decided to simply ignore his antics.

I was preoccupied with staring up at the sky and pleading with whatever greater power there was to help me shut him up and therefore completely missed the fact that everyone else had stopped walking. I collided with Jack who in turn only seemed to look even more amused.

"What?" I asked, confused. "Are we finally there?"

"Aye, see for yourself lass," the captain replied and gestured with his arm towards the wide ocean before us.

I immediately noticed the large black ship positioned just off shore. I would recognize that ship anywhere. It was the Black Pearl.

"A real beauty, isn't she?" he added before heading off down the shore towards the row boat anchored on the beach.

"Not exactly…" I mumbled, after he was well out of hearing range. Instead of inspiring awe and amazement as the pirate obviously thought it would, it only brought back the painful memories of the attack three years ago. But I knew that ship was my only chance to help my brother. I quickly took a deep breath and hurried after the others. I hopped into the small boat just as Will and Jack were pushing it off the beach and into the warm waters of the Caribbean.

As we reached the ship, I could hear the crew rushing about on deck amidst shouted orders. Ropes appeared over the side of the Pearl and our small group was soon standing on the main deck.

An older looking man quickly approached us. "Jack! Yer back early! At least we didn't have to come rescue ya from the gallows again."

"Aye, an interesting proposition presented itself and I couldn't help but accept."

"I see you've brought some visitors with ya, captain," a female voice called out. I turned and noticed a black woman dressed in pirate garb standing at the helm of the ship. She turned her attention to me and then asked, "Who's the girl?"

"Oh, right. This is Kitty."

"That is not my name you filthy scallywag!" I screamed, my protests falling on deaf ears.

"She and the Turners will be our guests for the time being." Jack then suddenly turned his attention from the woman and addressed the rest of his crew. "Now I want this ship ready to sail in ten minutes! Move it you dogs!" He continued to shout out orders and yell insults at his crew as they scrambled to raise the anchor and ready the sails.

I stood in the center of the deck, completely dumbfounded, until I felt a strong hand grab my arm and haul me down below deck.

"It's probably best to be stayin' out of the crew's way right now," Will said with a laugh. "Wouldn't want to be thrown overboard before we even left…"

I nodded my head in silent agreement.

I spent the next several hours avoiding the crew and its crazy captain while striving to remain as inconspicuous as possible. I had managed to find a secluded area along the starboard side of the ship and stood leaning against the railing. A large pod of dolphins swam alongside, enjoying the waves that were made as the hull sliced through the calm water. For a while, I even forgot I was on a pirate ship and enjoyed the peaceful moment.

I barely registered motion to my right before a voice asked, "Enjoying the view, luv?"

Reluctantly, I turned to face him. "Well, I was…"

"This isn't a free ride ya know. You've got work to do." To emphasize this last statement, he raised one arm which held a mop and pointed with his other to a bucket sitting against the railing.

"Excuse me?" I asked, hoping he was joking.

"Better get started. I expect this whole deck to be swabbed before dinner." Behind the wide smile, I noticed a dangerous glint in his eye as if daring me to object.

So I swallowed my pride and grabbed the mop.

By the time the sun had disappeared over the horizon, I was just finishing the last area of the main deck. I was more than happy to return the mop to the bucket and leave it there. As I leaned backwards to stretch my sore back, my stomach growled in protest of my lack of lunch.

I frowned in annoyance and then hurried below deck to get cleaned up. With any luck, I would be enjoying a nice, peaceful dinner in no time.

Elizabeth was waiting for me when I arrived at the small room we had been appointed to stay in. It was only large enough to hold a small table, a chair, and a few cots, but it was better than having to sleep with the crew.

"I was wondering when you were going to finish. Jack and Will are waiting for us," she said as I started to wash my hands in the basin on the table. She simply laughed at my look of confusion and then added, "We'll be dining in the captain's cabin tonight."

I gave her a small smile while inwardly groaning. "_Great… there goes my peaceful dinner._"

When we entered the main cabin, I immediately noticed how spacious it was. There was a large table set up for dinner at one end and a separate area off to the side that served as sleeping quarters.

Will and Jack were already seated at the table and were engaged in a lively discussion. I had no intentions of being an easy target so I quickly took a seat beside Elizabeth after she sat next to Will. It was then that I noticed another addition to our dinner party: the pirate woman I had seen when we arrived.

Jack suddenly noticed the presence of the new arrivals. "Ah, good. Everyone's here." He then realized that Anamaria was glaring at Katherine suspiciously. "I suppose the two of you haven't formally introduced yourselves."

Realizing Jack expected one of us to break the ice, I reluctantly offered my name. "Katherine Scott," I said with a small nod of my head in greeting.

The other woman returned the gesture and replied, "Anamaria." After a pause she added, "So, how exactly did you meet the captain?"

I was thrown off by the hostile undertone of the question, but Jack immediately broke out laughing.

"Relax luv! It ain't what you think! This is purely a business relationship!"

I felt my face turn bright red when I finally understood what the other woman had been implying. "You honestly though I might be involved romantically with… with… that!" I pointed toward the object of discussion. "Honestly! Of all the absurd, disgusting things I have ever heard!"

"Hey!" Jack replied indignantly, "I'm not that bad!"

The distinctive sound of giggling to my right caused me to turn to glare at the offenders. The sound stopped immediately as Will and Elizabeth suddenly became fascinated by the plates of food before them.

"Well, since we're on the topic of the romantically involved," Jack said, turning his attention to the young couple. "Why aren't there any little Turners running around yet?"

The two shared a look and then blushed, unsure of how to respond to the unexpected turn in the conversation.

Jack studied the pair for a moment and then proclaimed, "Oh, I see. So you really are a eunuch."

Will choked on the food he had just swallowed. "What?! No! That's not it!"

A small voice beside him added, "It's not like we haven't been trying…"

Four heads turned to look at Elizabeth. She took a moment to notice our looks of shock. Will was looking more horrified by the minute. She clasped a hand over her mouth and then whispered, "Oh God! Did I say that out loud?" She took our silence to mean yes and I cringed in sympathy as her face soon resembled Will's.

"I, uh, didn't know you wanted children," I said after a few minutes. I just couldn't stand the silence anymore.

Elizabeth smiled slightly at my attempt to return to a more normal discussion. "I've always dreamed of having children, ever since I was a small child myself. And that feeling only grew stronger when you and your brother came to visit. I just had this overwhelming urge to protect and care for you two. We just didn't want to say anything until we knew for sure…"

"Don't worry about it," Anamaria suddenly interrupted. "You're both young. There's plenty of time for children." She smiled encouragingly at the couple. Then, as if realizing she had allowed her guard to drop, she shifted uncomfortably in her chair and then cleared her throat. "Well, now that we've gotten completely off topic, it's time for you to answer my question." This last statement was directed at me.

I stared at her blankly for a moment before remembering that question that had ignited this whole mess. "Oh, right, you asked how I met Jack. Well, the _ Pearl_ raided the ship I was on while headed to Port Royal with my brother. I invoked the right of parley and negotiated for your captain to leave the ship immediately."

Anamaria smiled at my story. "Hmm, sounds very similar to a stunt someone else pulled not too long ago…" She looked over at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth simply laughed. "Yeah, but at least this captain wasn't part of a cursed crew of the undead."

My curiosity was irreversibly peaked at this point. "So, are you finally gonna tell me how you all met?" I leaned forward anxiously to listen to the amazing story about undead pirates and an ancient Aztec curse…


	6. A Little Thing Called Trust

Title: First Impressions  
Author: SlayersGrl  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters from the movie. I'm just "borrowing" them…

Summary: After a fateful encounter with a certain pirate captain, Katherine tries to live a normal life in Port Royal. Her world is thrown upside when pirates kidnap her brother and she must rely on the one person she never expected: Captain Jack Sparrow.

Author's Note: I haven't given up on this story! I'm so sorry for the long wait! The real world caught up with me. And I was sorta putting off writing my little encounter between Katherine and Jack. Hopefully I'll get some more chapters written very soon! As always, reviews are welcome and encouraged!

* * *

Chapter 6: A Little Thing Called Trust

Thunk!

I awoke to the unpleasant sensation of falling and then impacting with a hard surface. I sat up and rubbed my sore head, waiting for comprehension to sink in.

Apparently, I had forgotten where I was and, thinking I was at home in my large bed, I had rolled over to find a more comfortable position. This had resulted in me rolling right off the cot and landing on the unforgiving wooden floor beneath it.

Groaning in embarrassment, I scanned the room to determine if anyone had witnessed this spectacle. Luckily, Will and Elizabeth had already left so I was completely alone.

I quickly cleaned myself up as much as I could in the small wash basin. My stomach growled in appreciation to whoever had left the small plate of food on the table. After consuming the small breakfast, I made my way to the main deck.

I was instantly assaulted by the bright sun flooding the deck. I blinked my eyes rapidly to adjust to the light change. Then I made my way over to where Elizabeth lounged against the railing.

She chuckled at my barely stifled yawn. "We were wondering how long you were going to sleep. I think Will and Jack were about to start taking bets."

Glancing up at the position of the sun, I was shocked to see it was almost noon. "I didn't realize I was so tired…" was my mumbled response.

"Well, you've had a busy few days."

'_That's right, it's only been two days…_' I thought. Two days since Captain Zamora kidnapped my brother and started the long chain of events that led to me standing on the deck of the _Black Pearl_. Would we reach them in time? If something happened to Jacob, I don't think I could ever forgive myself…

Elizabeth must have noticed my darkening mood because she placed a comforting hand on my arm. "Don't worry. Everything'll be alright. You'll see."

I nodded my head in agreement even though some feelings of doubt remained in the back of my mind. Any further discussion was interrupted by loud laughter behind me.

"Well, look who's decided to grace us with her presence!" Jack said as he patted me on the head. Before I could comment on this condescending display, he continued. "You'd better get to work then. This deck ain't gonna swab itself."

I glared at his back as he walked off towards the helm of his ship. But he suddenly called out over his shoulder, "Same goes for you, Mrs. Turner! Back to work!"

Elizabeth simply rolled her eyes and muttered "Slave driver!" under her breath. Then we shared a knowing look and laughed.

"Oh, where's Will?" I asked, just realizing that I had yet to see the young blacksmith that morning.

Her only reply was to point upwards and to cringe.

I looked up and finally spotted him. Will was dangling from the rigging directly above us, blissfully unaware of how close he appeared to death. "Doesn't that make you nervous?" I asked.

She laughed. "You have no idea! But I guess that's why Jack assigned me to the kitchen today." Elizabeth took one last look at her husband and sighed. Then she turned her gaze to me. "If you get done early, you're always welcome to come keep me company."

I smiled in appreciation of her offer and then waved as she disappeared below deck. My smile quickly vanished though once I spotted the familiar bucket and mop. Muttering various colorful threats directed towards the man steering the ship, I slowly approached the objects. Upon reaching them, I kicked the bucket for good measure and then had to scramble to keep it from spilling its contents all over the deck.

Now half-drenched for my efforts, I sighed in resignation and got to work. I quickly settled into a rhythm and found my mind wandering as my body continued with its monotonous task.

My thoughts turned once again to Jacob. I had no idea if he was alright. My only hope was that since he was to be a bargaining tool, he would not be hurt in any way. However, my heart broke to think of how scared he must be. I longed to hold him in my arms again and reassure him that everything would be alright.

I had to shake my head to clear the image from my mind before I broke down and started crying. I would have plenty of time to cry, after we rescued Jacob.

I turned my musing to my father. Looking back on the conversation we had in his study, I came to a horrible conclusion. He must have known Zamora was up to something! That was why he left. He was hoping to protect us by being as far away as possible. Only Zamora had used the opportunity to kidnap Jacob. I wondered if my father even knew yet. Probably not, since there would be no way to contact him until he reached Nassau.

I tried to picture what sort of man would do something so underhanded when I realized I didn't even know anything about Captain Zamora. All I had was a name. It was time to gather a little information, even it that meant I had to go talk to the last person I wanted to see at the moment.

My mind made up, I hurried to finish my chore. I then set out to find Jack Sparrow. It turns out I didn't have to look very hard since he was in the first place I looked for him: still standing at the helm

I took a deep breath to gather my resolve and then strode purposefully towards him. I stopped a few feet behind him, suddenly unsure how to initiate the conversation. After struggling for a few minutes to find the appropriate words, I was saved by a soft chuckle from the captain.

"What?" I asked, flustered.

"If ya have something to say luv, just say it."

"Well, I… I want you to tell me about Captain Zamora." I was surprised how steady my voice had sounded considering I was practically shaking in my boots.

The man before me slowly shifted his weight from one foot to the other before finally responding in a quiet tone. "Are you absolutely sure you want to know?"

I considered his question for a moment, but deep down inside I already knew the answer. "No, I don't think I want to know. But I need to know. I need to understand what kind of man we're going to be facing. I'm not some naïve little girl that needs to be coddled and protected. When the time comes, I'm going to be prepared to fight. And in order to do that I need to have all the information I can get. Please, you have to tell me what you know!" Hoping that my desperate plea would not fall on deaf ears, I took a deep breath and waited for a response.

Finally Jack Sparrow turned away from the horizon and looked at me. I quickly found myself staring into his dark eyes. It was completely different from the first time I had looked into their depths. There was no hint of laughter, only a look of cold calculation as he sized me up, as if trying to gauge how I would handle what he was going to say. Seemingly satisfied, he gave me an almost imperceptible nod of the head and motioned for me to sit on a crate near where he stood.

"I've never personally met the man. But I have heard enough stories about him. He started out as a pirate, raiding any and every ship he laid his sights on. But then about two years ago he got his hands on some papers and became a privateer for the Royal Crown. That's around the time that the rumors started to spread. Some former crewmates arrived in Tortuga and said that he had lost his mind. He was raving about some great, ancient power that was lost somewhere in the Caribbean. Any crewmember who questioned his decisions was immediately thrown off the ship, whether they were near port or not. He eventually took to recruiting the most evil, soulless men he could find, claiming that he knew of a great treasure with a reward worth dying for." Jack paused and smiled at this part. "Of course, that's what every insane, treasure-lusting pirate captain says."

"So, do you think he's really found something?"

"It doesn't matter if I believe he has or not. All that matters is that he thinks he has. And he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. You have to understand, he's already killed to get this far. And despite his promises, your brother may already be dead."

I took at deep breath to try to quell the sudden nauseating, soul-wrenching feeling that instantly gripped my heart. "_No, I would feel it if he were dead!_" Then, out loud, I said, "I understand. But either way, I have to know. And Zamora must be held responsible for his actions."

Jack nodded at my response and then decided it was time to change the subject. "So, now that I've told you all I know, isn't there something you haven't mentioned?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like why Zamora would want to kidnap your brother."

Subconsciously, my hand reached for the chain around my neck. The movement didn't go unnoticed. I realized that if Jack was going to trust me, I needed to trust him. I lifted the chain and revealed the pendant that had been hidden beneath my clothes. The gold glittered in the mid-afternoon sun.

"Ah, so this is what he's after." He reached over and held the pendant in the palm of his hand. "A phoenix? Now that's interesting…You hold onto that luv. Whatever happens, Zamora must not get his hands on it."

I nodded in agreement then placed it back in its resting place. "Then I'm going to need to train."

"What?" Now it was Jack's turn to be confused.

"I need to learn how to fight. I want to be able to take care of myself when the time comes."

"Hmm… that may not be such a bad idea…" he muttered as he rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "We'll discuss the details after dinner. Speaking of which, perhaps you should go check on the young Mrs. Turner?"

"Oh, right." I said with a smile. Then I quickly stood and headed towards the main deck. But I paused long enough to call out "Thanks… for everything." Then I disappeared down the stairs before the captain could respond.


	7. Fight! Fight! Fight?

Title: First Impressions  
Author: SlayersGrl  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters from the movie. I'm just "borrowing" them…

Summary: After a fateful encounter with a certain pirate captain, Katherine tries to live a normal life in Port Royal. Her world is thrown upside when pirates kidnap her brother and she must rely on the one person she never expected: Captain Jack Sparrow.

Author's Note: Wow, it only took me four days to post a new chapter! I think that's a personal record…

* * *

Chapter 7: Fight! Fight! Fight? 

True to his word, Jack did discuss my "training" with Will and the details were ironed out that evening. That's how, to my chagrin, I found myself standing in the center of the _Black __Pearl's_ main deck shortly after dawn the next morning. Elizabeth had somehow found me a loose fitting white shirt and a pair of pants that were several sizes too big. They were currently being held around my waist with a small piece of rope. Everyone had agreed that proper etiquette and attire could be forgotten for the time being, especially given our current situation.

"Alright Katherine, are you ready?" Will asked, his sword gripped loosely in his hand.

"Uh, sure," I replied. "You do remember that I'm horrible at this, right?"

Will smiled mischievously. "Oh, I remember." Then he added a little more seriously, "But you'll get better at it as we go along. Alright, we're gonna focus on some defensive maneuvers first."

I gripped the sword Will had given me tightly and raised it in what I hoped was a half decent defensive posture.

Loud laughter erupted from the direction of the helm. "Good luck with that one, Will! Yer gonna need it!" Jack called out.

"Just ignore him. You're doing fine," Will said reassuringly.

"Don't worry, I already am…" I muttered and then nodded my okay to begin.

Will ran straight at me and swung his sword hard into mine. Metal scraped metal and the force of the blow reverberated through my entire arm. The force was too strong and I quickly lost my balance and ended up sprawled on my back, my sword sliding out of reach.

"Hey! What was that for? I thought you were gonna go easy on me!" I shouted, upset at Will for being so forceful and at myself for being so incompetent when it came to sword skills.

"I just wanted you to remember that this isn't a game we're playing in my backyard. You're going to be facing experienced fighters. And they're not going to go easy on you simply because you're a woman." Will then reached a hand down to me.

After a moment, I accepted his help and stood up. "Ok, point taken. Now, are you going to help me or not?"

Will laughed. "Of course I am. But we're going to have to be a little creative. You obviously can't block an attack head on. You need to learn how to use your size to your advantage."

A few hours later, I was starting to understand his statement. Instead of teaching me to block attacks directly, Will showed me how to deflect a blow enough to knock my opponent off balance. This left me standing very close to my enemy and left room for me to follow up with a blow to the stomach. So far, we had been practicing using the handle of a knife. If the need arose, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to use the bladed side.

I was distracted from my thoughts by Will's next attack. I reflexively brought my sword up at the appropriate angle, causing his attack to slide off to the side. Then I followed up by slamming the hilt of the knife into his side.

Will let out an 'oomph' sound and then fell to the floor.

"Oh God! Will, are you okay? I didn't mean to hit you that hard!" I quickly knelt on the deck beside him, trying to see if I had done any permanent damage.

He looked over at me in amazement while trying to suck in enough air so he could respond. "Ow! That really hurt!"

"I said I was sorry!" Then I added in a softer tone, "It's not serious, is it?" _"__Elizabeth is so going to kill me!"_

Will shook his head. "I'll be alright. Just give me a minute."

Several minutes later, I helped him to his feet. Will reached over and patted me on the shoulder. "I think that's enough for one day." Then he reached down and gingerly touched his sore side. "From the feel of that last blow, you'll be more than a force to be reckoned with by the end of the week."

I winced in sympathy and then smiled at the offhanded compliment. Somehow, though, I had a feeling I was going to regret asking for this training…

* * *

"Land ho!" 

It was a surprise to hear the call from the crow's nest. Will and I immediately stopped our daily practice and scrambled to the rail to get a look. Up ahead we could just barely make out the thick line on the horizon that marked the island of Nassau.

"We're finally there?" I whispered, not really expecting an answer.

"Yup. We should reach it by nightfall." I turned and realized that Anamaria had approached the rail and was standing next to me. "Then the fun begins."

I swallowed nervously and looked back over the calm blue waters of the Caribbean at the rapidly increasing speck in the distance. _"Oh Jacob… please be okay…_"

As the island came into view, we veered sharply to the left and away from the main port. At my inquiry, Anamaria explained that the _Pearl _was too recognizable to openly dock in port. We would have to throw anchor in one of the coves on the western side of the island and then sneak into town under the cover of darkness.

Just as the sun was disappearing from view, the ship slid into a small waterway that led to a hidden pool behind a large outcropping of rocks. It would be impossible for anyone to spot us unless they entered the small opening between the rocks.

Jack began issuing orders to prepare the _Pearl_ to drop anchor for the night. Then, to my surprise, he began to organize a shore party. I quickly hurried over to him.

"I never said anything about you coming with me. Our arrangement was only for you to drop me off."

"I have my own reasons for going with you. First of all, I have to make sure you don't get killed along the way or we'll never get our reward. Second, I now have to make sure nothing happens to the Turners or Norrington and the entire Royal Navy will be chasing me to the ends of the earth. And," he paused, "despite what you may think, I'm not so completely heartless that I'd let a young woman run off to face a group of bloodthirsty pirates without some help." Jack then immediately began to shout orders again and ran over to instruct some crew members on how to lower the main sail without harming his ship.

I stood in utter shock for a few minutes and then realized I could use all the help I could get. I would just have to spend more time with Jack Sparrow than I had originally anticipated.

Within the hour, our small party had gathered next to the rowboats and was about to disembark. But before we did, Anamaria approached with a handful of garments.

"Well, since yer wearin' men's clothes, I figure ya might as well play the part. Besides, we're gonna be heading to the taverns to try to gather some information. You'll be less noticeable as a man."

Nodding in agreement, I accepted the offered jacket and hat to complete my disguise. Then she offered the same to Elizabeth, who agreed a little more readily than I had expected. At my curious glance, she simply shrugged and whispered, "I'll take this over a corset any day!" I had to bite my lip to stifle my laughter as I climbed into the small boat.

A short time later, Jack, Anamaria, Will, Elizabeth, and myself, along with a handful of Jack's crew, were standing on a bluff overlooking the town. Through Jack's scope we were able to see the _Rebellion_ floating in the harbor.

"You were right Jack. He did come to Nassau," Will whispered.

"Of course I was right lad. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!" he replied in the same hushed tone.

I groaned inwardly. Even though I was extremely happy this gambol had paid off, I was worried about what sort of ego boost I had just given him.

"Ana, you take the crew and go investigate the docks. Everyone else is going to the taverns with me."

Apparently, the ego boost had sent him on some sort of power trip. He seemed to think he was in charge of my rescue operation. "Wait a minute!" I shouted, too angry to care if anyone overheard me. "Jacob is most likely on that ship right now. We need to go rescue him!" I couldn't understand why everyone was just standing around. We needed to be moving.

Before I knew it, Jack was standing about an inch from my face, his braided beard brushing against my face. "Now look here girl. As long as my crew and my ship are involved in this mess, I'm in charge. And we are involved whether you want us to be or not. I will not send my crew blindly off into a potential trap without getting a little information about the situation first. You have no experience sneaking around in the dark unnoticed so you'll only get in the way at the docks. Therefore, you have two options. Come with us to the taverns or turn around and go back to the ship. What'll it be?"

Grinding my teeth furiously, I mentally screamed at him for treating my like such a child. However, I knew I had no choice but to go along with him or I would lose what little control I had left of the situation. I wouldn't go quietly though.

"I will not be left behind," I stated, leaving no room for argument.

"Good. I wouldn't expect anything less."

Our groups quickly parted ways, agreeing to meet back at the ship before dawn. We had no luck at the first tavern we tried. No one knew anything about Captain Zamora, or they weren't willing to tell us what they knew. Our luck began to improve once we entered the second tavern.

Jack and I entered first and headed straight to the bar while Will and Elizabeth followed a few minutes later and found a small table near the back. I had agreed to let Jack do the talking, but I insisted on being there to listen.

Jack ordered us both a bottle of rum. As we waited for our drinks, a man approached the counter. From his stench, I could tell he was well on his way to being drunk if he wasn't already. He set his mug on the counter and sat next to Jack. Without looking over at us, he said, "So, I hear you're looking for Captain Zamora?"

If Jack was surprised, he didn't show it. He calmly paid for our drinks and waited for the barmaid to leave before replying. "Word sure travels fast in this town."

The stranger chuckled and sipped his drink. "Well, I make it a habit to be well-informed of what goes on around here." He paused for a moment to take a large gulp of alcohol and grimaced as it burned its way down his throat. "Anyway, I don't really like the man. He's the type that can only be up to no good. And that's saying a lot coming from a scallywag like me."

Jack nodded thoughtfully, understanding the man's implications. "So, any idea what he's doing in Nassau?"

"Well, I've only heard rumors… but they're saying Zamora's looking for immortality."

"By making a name for himself?"

"No, something more tangible than that…"

At Jack's questioning glance, the man simply shrugged. "I'm just telling ya what I heard. But, if ya want you can ask the man himself. He usually drinks over at the Prancing Pony."

Jack stood and I quickly followed. "Thanks mate," he said and then placed a handful of coins on the counter next to the stranger. "Have a few drinks on me." The man smiled in thanks and then we hurried off to find the rest of our party.

We found Will in a compromising position. He was in the process of trying to extricate one of the local wenches from his lap without touching anything that would earn him a slap from his barely restrained wife sitting next to him. He pleaded with Jack for help who quickly intervened by paying the woman to go find another man for the evening. Then he dragged the three of us out into the cool night air.

"Why are we in such a hurry?" Elizabeth asked as we walked briskly down the street. "Did you find something?"

I nodded, a big grin on my face. "We found Zamora."

* * *

AN: The "Prancing Pony" is the name of one of the pubs at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. I thought it was amusing so I decided to use it… 


End file.
